Entry Word: decay
Function: noun
Text: 1 a gradual sinking and wasting away of mind or body <middle-aged people who fervently hope that daily exercise will arrest the physical decay that usually accompanies advancing age> -- see DECLINE 12 the process by which dead organic matter separates into simpler substances <the cycle by which the decay of dead plants on the forest floor provides soil and nutrients for the next generation of plants> -- see CORRUPTION 1